At Gamescom 2011 we had the chance to check out the upcoming pseudo-sequel to Warhawk from Lightbox Interactive, Starhawk. Starhawk is a gorgeous futuristic flight sim and third person shooter in one, and this time around Sinan Kubba got to check out just how important the Hawks can be in the new Orbital multiplayer map.

"The Orbital map is made up of a number of floating platforms which are orbiting around the vast brown planet below. There is nothing interconnecting these relatively tiny platforms, so the emphasis is on using the Build & Battle system to spawn the launch pad required to generate the flame-powered Hawks. We also saw how the communication tower, which in the single-player calls AI units to come help, will transform in the multiplayer to a spawn point, and how in Orbital this becomes a fundamental part of establishing a foothold on these island-like platforms."

Get your jetpack ready and read our entire Starhawk preview from Gamescom 2011.